{"id":3455,"date":"2025-08-28T15:39:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T13:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pulsations.art\/?p=3455"},"modified":"2025-09-01T20:10:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T18:10:17","slug":"sibelius-festival-2025-lahti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pulsations.art\/en\/sibelius-festival-2025-lahti\/","title":{"rendered":"ENCOUNTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE NORTH – SIBELIUS FESTIVAL 2025 LAHTI"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The 2025 Sibelius Festival in Lahti unfolded as a triptych tracing the composer\u2019s early symphonic voice.<\/span><\/em><\/p>

Three concerts, three visions of emergence: \u00ab\u00a0<\/span>Kullervo\u00a0\u00bb<\/span>, \u00ab\u00a0<\/span>Lemmink\u00e4inen\u00a0\u00bb<\/span>, and the \u00ab\u00a0<\/span>First Symphony\u00a0\u00bb<\/span>, each set in resonant dialogue with Mahler, Wagner, and Grieg.<\/span><\/em><\/p>

This year also marked <\/span>Hannu Lintu\u2019s official debut<\/span> as chief conductor of Sinfonia Lahti and with it, a bold curatorial statement.<\/span><\/em><\/p>

By placing Sibelius\u2019s mythic origins alongside those of late Romantic Europe, the festival shaped a narrative of <\/span>birth, rupture, and poetic identity<\/span>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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OPENING CONCERT AUGUST 28th 2025<\/p>

Sibelius Hall, Lahti<\/span><\/p>

Sinfonia Lahti<\/span><\/p>

Conductor:<\/span> Hannu Lintu<\/span><\/p>

Soprano:<\/span> Johanna Rusanen<\/span><\/p>

Baritone:<\/span> Dav\u00f3ne Tines<\/span><\/p>

Choir:<\/span> YL Male Voice Choir<\/span><\/p>

Programme:<\/span><\/p>

– Gustav Mahler:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Todtenfeier<\/i><\/span> (1888)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

– Jean Sibelius:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Kullervo<\/i><\/span>, Op. 7 (1892)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The 26th Lahti Sibelius Festival opened on Thursday, 28 August 2025, marking the 160th anniversary of Jean Sibelius\u2019s birth with a programme of bold <\/span>\u201cEncounters.\u201d<\/span> In the Sibelius Hall\u2019s pine-lined acoustics, newly appointed chief conductor <\/span>Hannu Lintu<\/span> began his tenure with <\/span>Sinfonia Lahti,<\/span>\u00a0succeeding a prestigious line of Finnish maestros (Osmo V\u00e4nsk\u00e4 among them), by pairing Sibelius with an unexpected bedfellow: Gustav Mahler. This opening concert\u2019s concept placed two youthful, death-haunted early works side by side: Mahler\u2019s <\/span>Todtenfeier<\/i><\/span> (1888) and Sibelius\u2019s <\/span>Kullervo<\/i><\/span> (1892). The choice embodied the festival\u2019s theme of musical meetings across worlds: as the programme notes observed, both Mahler and Sibelius drew on folk poetry at the dawn of their careers: Mahler on the nature-inspired verses of <\/span>Des Knaben Wunderhorn<\/i><\/span>, Sibelius on the Kalevala,\u00a0<\/i>each crafting a first symphonic statement with poetry about death \u201cpresent from the first bar to the last\u201d <\/span>. Joining Lintu and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra were soprano <\/span>Johanna Rusanen<\/span>, bass-baritone <\/span>Dav\u00f3ne Tines<\/span>, and the legendary <\/span>YL Male Voice Choir<\/span>, all poised to animate Sibelius\u2019s epic Finnish saga after Mahler\u2019s brooding funeral rite. It was a thoughtfully curated encounter on paper, and in practice it proved a measured, intriguing, if not ultimately incendiary, start to the festival.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Mahler\u2019s Todtenfeier<\/i>: Funeral Rites Reimagined<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Mahler\u2019s <\/span>Todtenfeier<\/i><\/span> (\u201cFuneral Ceremony\u201d) opened the evening with a visceral atmosphere, its ominous string tremors in the basses immediately evoking Wagner\u2019s <\/span>Die Walk\u00fcre<\/i><\/span>. The low strings growled with gravitas and amplitude, summoning the same stormy undercurrent that Mahler, a devoted Wagnerian, likely knew from the opening of <\/span>Walk\u00fcre<\/i><\/span>. Lintu ensured the cellos and basses spoke with solemn weight and precise ensemble, setting a scene of foreboding. As the tension rose, the orchestra delivered Mahler\u2019s surging funeral march with clarity and dark lustre. There was admirable polish in the playing: snarling brass and shrieking woodwinds were reined in just enough to keep textures balanced. However, not everything was ideal, a few exposed attacks (a horn call here, a flute entrance there) were slightly imprecise, momentarily unsettling the otherwise solid front. One might chalk it up to early-concert nerves, soon overcome as the performance continued.<\/span><\/p>

Interpretively, Lintu\u2019s reading of <\/span>Todtenfeier<\/i><\/span> remained clean and controlled, perhaps even <\/span>too<\/span> well-behaved for music of such existential angst. Where Mahler\u2019s score can accommodate wild extremes and a febrile, risk-taking pulse, here the journey felt almost too smooth and contained. For listeners intimately familiar with the piece\u2019s later incarnation as the opening movement of the <\/span>Resurrection<\/i><\/span> Symphony<\/i>, there was a sense of something held in reserve. Lintu favoured an Apollonian structural overview more than Dionysian abandon, a stance that brought admirable coherence but slightly underplayed the music\u2019s eruptive drama. While this yielded moments of beautiful transparency (the strings\u2019 soft lament was luminous, and the funeral chorale in the brass had noble sheen) one occasionally wished for a touch more fury and vulnerability from the conductor\u2019s baton.<\/span><\/p>

Todtenfeier<\/i><\/span> comes with considerable historical and literary baggage, which Lintu\u2019s measured approach perhaps consciously respected. Mahler composed this single-movement tone poem in 1888, just after finishing his First Symphony<\/em> (the <\/span>\u201cTitan\u201d<\/span>). The title itself nods to an epic poem by Adam Mickiewicz about communing with the dead, and Mahler later admitted that while writing it he imagined <\/span>his own corpse in a coffin surrounded by wreaths<\/span> . Indeed, <\/span>Todtenfeier<\/span> was Mahler\u2019s first musical grappling with mortality, a fierce funeral march that he initially intended as a standalone piece. It represents <\/span>the funeral of the fallen hero from his D-major Titan<\/em><\/span>, the composer\u2019s earlier symphony <\/span>. Mahler imbued it with the existential question of life, death, and what lies beyond: does suffering have meaning, is there life after death? In 1891, when the 31-year-old Mahler played <\/span>Todtenfeier<\/span><\/em> on the piano for the venerable Hans von B\u00fclow in hopes of approval, the reaction was famously brutal. B\u00fclow covered his ears and exclaimed, <\/span>\u201cIf what I have heard is music, I understand nothing about music!\u201d, <\/span>even likening Mahler\u2019s work to noise that made Wagner\u2019s <\/span>Tristan<\/span><\/em> seem as innocuous as a Haydn symphony. This harsh dismissal crushed Mahler\u2019s confidence; he shelved the score and lapsed into three years of creative silence. Only in 1894, after B\u00fclow\u2019s death, did Mahler find a way forward. That year he revised <\/span>Todtenfeier<\/span><\/em> and folded it into what became his <\/span>Second Symphony<\/span><\/em>, finding inspiration in a Klopstock resurrection hymn to fashion the choral finale. <\/span>Todtenfeier<\/span><\/em> thus lives on as the massive first movement of the <\/span>Resurrection<\/span><\/em> Symphony,<\/em>\u00a0music Mahler described as the hero\u2019s life \u201creflected, as in a clear mirror, from an elevated vantage point\u201d <\/span> as he is borne to the grave. Knowing this genesis, one appreciates the youthful Mahler\u2019s audacity and the piece\u2019s tempestuous, questioning spirit.<\/span><\/p>

In Lahti, Lintu\u2019s account of <\/span>Todtenfeier<\/span><\/em> respected its symphonic cohesion and dark sonorities, if not fully its impetuous soul. The climactic moments were powerful yet carefully shaped, the conductor never let the dynamics or tempo run away from him. This led to a closing funeral peroration that was more stately than searing. The final bars, with their grim march rhythm and \u201cspasm of horror\u201d in low strings and percussion, certainly conveyed weight but only a moderate sense of terror. As the last C-minor chords subsided, one admired the Lahti Symphony\u2019s tonal balance and the obvious detailed preparation, even while craving a bit more reckless catharsis. In sum, <\/span>Todtenfeier<\/span><\/em> here came across as a compelling if somewhat <\/span>sanitised<\/span> harbinger of Mahler\u2019s Second Symphony<\/em>. It was a performance of integrity and intelligence, if not the sort to leave one utterly shaken.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Sibelius\u2019s Kullervo<\/i>: A Finnish Epic Unfolds\n\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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If Mahler\u2019s Todtenfeier<\/em> is the tormented prologue of a symphonic saga, Sibelius\u2019s Kullervo<\/em> is a saga unto itself, an expansive five-movement work that straddles symphony, cantata, and tone poem. Premiered in 1892 when Sibelius was 26, Kullervo<\/em> marked the young composer\u2019s breakthrough, drawing on Finland\u2019s national epic Kalevala<\/em> to recount a tragic tale of fate, revenge, and ruin. At roughly seventy minutes and requiring a large orchestra, two vocal soloists, and a male chorus, Kullervo<\/em> is an audacious early creation, brimming with nationalist fervour and Wagnerian ambition. Under Hannu Lintu\u2019s baton, the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and YL Male Voice Choir (joined by Rusanen and Tines) navigated this sprawling opus with commitment. Though the performance at times fell short of truly igniting the work\u2019s epic fire, it offered many passages of great beauty, and showcased some of the orchestra\u2019s finest qualities.<\/p>

The opening movement (\u00ab\u00a0Kullervo\u2019s Youth\u00a0\u00bb) burst forth with energetic, rhythmically driven playing. Lintu established a firm grip on Sibelius\u2019s distinctive oscillating rhythms; the music\u2019s tread, part march, part dance, had a sure-footed momentum. The strings dug into their figures with vigour, and woodwind interjections were sharply contoured. Notably, the flutes\u2019 staccato motifs had excellent definition, piping up like folk-tale birds punctuating the texture. Lintu shaped the movement in broad, surging waves, showing an ear for Sibelius\u2019s ebb and flow. He made effective use of silences too: several pregnant pauses were held with just enough suspense to keep the audience on edge before the next crescendo. Dynamic gradations were well-judged, from the rumbling timpani rolls in the distance to the full-throttle orchestral climaxes depicting the brash vigor of young Kullervo. If there was a slight reservation, it was that in this movement the orchestra was still finding its warmth, some brass calls and string tone felt a touch on the austere side. But overall, the drive and sweep were present, giving a strong first impression.<\/p>

In the second movement (\u00ab\u00a0Kullervo\u2019s Journey\u00a0\u00bb), the tone shifted to something more lyrical and atmospheric. Here Lintu struck a fine balance between lyricism and analytical clarity. Sibelius\u2019s scoring in this section can sound episodic, but under Lintu\u2019s direction it unfolded naturally, with each folk-tinged theme emerging and receding like scenes in a cinematic travelogue. The orchestra\u2019s playing turned more nuanced: woodwind lines were delicately phrased, and inner string voices that often get lost were clearly audible, adding richness to the harmony. There was a wonderful subtlety in how Lintu prepared the movement\u2019s climactic moments, one sensed a dramatic foresight, each swell foreshadowed and earned rather than thrown off abruptly. The Lahti players responded with finely shaded dynamics; a gentle melancholy permeated the violins\u2019 songful passages, while the brass outbursts were taut but never overblown. The closing pages were especially memorable: the music dies away as Kullervo\u2019s journey pauses, and Lintu dared to take it down to a true pianissimo. In that rarefied softness, one could hear the hall\u2019s attentive silence, a poetic fadeout that felt like mist settling over a mournful landscape. It\u2019s not often that this movement ends so hauntingly; here the effect was achieved and held beautifully.<\/p>

The central movement, \u00ab\u00a0Kullervo and His Sister\u00a0\u00bb, is the dramatic heart of the work and proved to be the highlight of the evening. It was in this expansive movement that the performance fully hit its stride. The YL Male Voice Choir made its first entrance with a superb presence: their sound was rich, blended, and appropriately stern, truly embodying the role of the Kalevala<\/em>\u2019s omniscient storyteller. Singing in Finnish, the men of YL projected the narrative with clarity and sonority, from hushed, haunting unisons to the ferocious cries that punctuate Kullervo\u2019s tragic tale. Dav\u00f3ne Tines, as Kullervo, delivered a quite convincing performance. Although his Finnish pronunciation was serviceable if not idiomatic, he portrayed Kullervo with sombre intensity. It is not an easily defining role, more narrative than operatic, and Tines delivered it with gravity if not with an especially distinctive vocal imprint. <\/span>Opposite him, Johanna Rusanen as the Sister matched Tines with a steely, impassioned soprano. Rusanen\u2019s voice carried over the orchestra with ease, riding the waves of Sibelius\u2019s drama, and she managed to convey the maiden\u2019s initial tenderness and ultimate despair convincingly in her brief but crucial solos. Both soloists maintained a solid partnership, never overpowering the orchestra or choir, but rather meshing into Sibelius\u2019s textural tapestry.<\/p>

Under Lintu\u2019s direction, the orchestra seemed to warm up fully in this third movement, unleashing a more vibrant palette of sound. The strings found a burnished intensity, and the brass, so slightly restrained earlier, now played with blazing conviction when needed, such as in the chilling chords that mark the sister\u2019s tragic recognition. Woodwind solos (clarinet, bassoon) added poignant commentary, and the male choir\u2019s interjections were electric, especially in the grimly exultant refrain that foreshadows Kullervo\u2019s doom. Lintu paced this long movement very well: he allowed the narrative to unfold with inexorable momentum, yet also gave space for the emotional peaks to register. The rape scene\u2019s orchestral build-up was appropriately terrifying, the music\u2019s savagery delivered without distortion. Conversely, the aftermath, where the sister laments and then disappears, was handled with great sensitivity, the choir\u2019s soft chant and the distant French horn calls evoking an eerie sorrow. By the conclusion of this movement, with the orchestra surging and the choir declaiming Kullervo\u2019s curse, the hall was gripped. It was the sort of cathartic, full-blooded performance that Kullervo demands, and it earned the loudest, most spontaneous applause of the night when the movement finally crashed to its end.<\/p>

After the monumental third movement, the remaining two movements can sometimes feel epilogic, but here they were given meticulous attention. The fourth movement (\u00ab\u00a0Kullervo Goes to War\u00a0\u00bb) featured some of the evening\u2019s most colourful orchestral playing. Lintu drew out the martial character with crisp rhythms and biting brass fanfares. There was great attention to instrumental colour and detail, one could relish the piccolo and flutes pictoing high above the texture, or the clarinets adding reedy bite to the battle tunes. The Lahti Symphony\u2019s woodwind section shone, each line cleanly etched even in fast, complex passages. The strings too had a bounce and precision, handling Sibelius\u2019s tricky cross-rhythms confidently. As the battle music reached its peak, one couldn\u2019t help noticing a certain Wagnerian echo in the sonic picture: the triumphant brass and rolling timpani had an almost Siegfried<\/em>-like ring, as if Nordic myth and Teutonic heroism converged for a moment. Lintu seemed aware of this kinship, and he shaped the movement\u2019s ending with broad, bold strokes that indeed conjured Wagnerian sonorities. This movement can sometimes come off as bluster, but in this performance it was robust and exciting without becoming merely bombastic.<\/p>

The fifth and final movement (\u00ab\u00a0Kullervo\u2019s Death\u00a0\u00bb) was handled with remarkable restraint and emotional insight. Sibelius ends his epic not with a blaze of glory but with a haunted, fatalistic calm, and Lintu respected that. The orchestra opened in hushed, pianissimo mode, strings and woodwinds weaving a dolorous lullaby of death. The atmosphere was that of a funeral lament, distant and mournful. Once again the YL Male Voice Choir entered, and they were impressive to the last, now assuming the role of a Greek chorus guiding the ritual of Kullervo\u2019s self-destruction. Their soft incantatory singing over the light tread of the orchestra was one of the most affecting sounds of the night, full of dignity and pity. Tines and Rusanen do not sing in this finale, it is entirely narrated by the men\u2019s chorus, and the YL choristers delivered the tale of Kullervo\u2019s remorse and suicide with gravitas, never losing tonal focus even at whisper-quiet dynamics. Lintu\u2019s control of these final pages was masterful: he allowed the music to breathe and the silences to deepen, so that Kullervo\u2019s end felt like a true catharsis<\/em> of sorrow. The very end was not stretched or sentimentalised; it emerged naturally as the culmination of the story. The final chords, bleak and resigned, faded into a long silence before the audience remembered to applaud. It was an emotionally elegiac conclusion, not a triumphant one, fully in keeping with Sibelius\u2019s vision of tragic fate.<\/p>

As the audience gathered its thoughts at the end of the evening, the conceptual pairing of Mahler and Sibelius undoubtedly gave food for reflection. On paper, the marriage of Todtenfeier<\/em> and Kullervo<\/em> made sense: two young composers confronting death through mythic lenses, each work a bold early step toward greater things. In practice, however, the \u00ab\u00a0encounter\u00a0\u00bb between Mahler\u2019s funeral rite and Sibelius\u2019s epic felt more cerebral than visceral. The transition from Central European late-romantic angst to Finnish nationalist legend was intriguing but somewhat jarring; one sensed parallel narratives rather than a true dialogue. The concert as a whole came across as a thoughtful opening statement rather than a white-hot burst of inspiration.<\/p>

In terms of performance, Hannu Lintu drew solid, often beautiful playing from the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and obtained disciplined, sonorous contributions from the YL Male Voice Choir and soloists. Technically, the concert was a success: ensemble cohesion was generally tight, balances were well-managed, and the tricky acoustics of Sibelius Hall were skilfully navigated. There were many moments to admire: the pellucid woodwind solos that dotted both Mahler and Sibelius\u2019s scores, the burnished warmth of the lower strings, and the thrilling impact of the male choir in Kullervo<\/em>. These elements stood out as highlights, evidence of a world-class orchestra and collaborators with a deep affinity for this repertoire. Yet, for all its quality, the evening stopped just short of catching fire. Emotionally, Lintu\u2019s interpretations felt a touch reserved. Todtenfeier<\/em>, especially, never quite unleashed the last ounce of Mahlerian desperation, and in Kullervo<\/em> some sections (apart from the searing third movement) could have used a bit more wild fervour or Finnish \u00ab\u00a0sisu\u00a0\u00bb. Perhaps the conductor, new in his post and carefully balancing myriad elements, chose to err on the side of control and refinement, an understandable approach, if a somewhat careful one.<\/p>

\u00a0In the end, this opening concert fulfilled its role as a ceremonial beginning: it posed questions, paid homage to Sibelius\u2019s legacy and influences, and set the tone for further explorations to come in the festival. It was not a blazing, confrontational meeting of musical minds, but a measured, thought-provoking one. Lintu\u2019s tenure with Sinfonia Lahti thus commenced not with a roar but with an introspective nod, an encounter at the crossroads of two composers\u2019 early visions. As the festival continues, one looks forward to how these initially cautious \u201cencounters\u201d might evolve into more daring dialogues in subsequent concerts. The spark has been lit; now we await the fuller flame…<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Plaque in Loviisa marking the house where Sibelius composed \"Kullervo\".<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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From left to right: Pasi Hy\u00f6kki (conductor of the YL Male Voice Choir), Dav\u00f3ne Tines (baritone), Hannu Lintu (conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra) and Johanna Rusanen (soprano). Photo: SINFONIA LAHTI, ANTTI SIHLMAN<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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SYMPHONY CONCERT AUGUST 29th 2025<\/p>

Sibelius Hall, Lahti<\/span><\/p>

Sinfonia Lahti<\/span><\/p>

Conductor:<\/span> Hannu Lintu<\/span><\/p>

Soprano:<\/span>\u00a0Miina-Liisa V\u00e4rel\u00e4<\/span><\/p>

Tenor:<\/span>\u00a0Klaus Florian Vogt<\/span><\/p>

Bass: Ain Anger<\/span><\/p>

Programme:<\/span><\/p>

Jean Sibelius: <\/span>Lemmink\u00e4inen Suite<\/span><\/em>, Op. 22 (1891)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

– Lemmink\u00e4inen and the Maidens of the Island<\/span><\/p>

– The Swan of Tuonela<\/span><\/p>

– Lemmink\u00e4inen in Tuonela<\/span><\/p>

– Lemmink\u00e4inen\u2019s Return<\/span><\/p>

Richard Wagner: <\/span>Die Walk\u00fcre<\/span><\/em>, Act I (1870)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Suspended Grace and Quiet Irony: Lintu\u2019s Lemmink\u00e4inen<\/i>\n\n\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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On this second evening (29 August 2025) at Sibelius Hall, new chief conductor <\/span>Hannu Lintu<\/span> led Sinfonia Lahti in a program that twinned <\/span>Jean Sibelius<\/span>\u2019s mythic <\/span>Lemmink\u00e4inen Suite<\/i><\/span> with the first act of <\/span>Wagner\u2019s Die Walk\u00fcre<\/i><\/span>. It was a symbolic meeting of Nordic and Central European imaginations. Lintu, in his inaugural year at Lahti, has set out to contextualise Sibelius\u2019s output by juxtapositions such as this, and here the untamed hero of the Finnish Kalevala<\/i> stood beside Wagner\u2019s world of the Nibelungen. The concert\u2019s second half would bring three star soloists (soprano Miina-Liisa V\u00e4rel\u00e4, tenor Klaus Florian Vogt and bass Ain Anger) to the stage for <\/span>Walk\u00fcr<\/i>e<\/span>, but first came Sibelius\u2019s own epic, rendered by Lintu and the orchestra with evident focus and intent.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Composed in the early 1890s (and revised in later decades), Sibelius\u2019s four-movement Lemmink\u00e4inen Suite<\/em> is among his most ambitious early works. Often overshadowed by the later symphonies, it is nevertheless utterly central to the composer\u2019s poetic identity. Sibelius originally conceived a grand mythological opera, or perhaps a symphony, based on Finland\u2019s national epic, the <\/span>Kalevala<\/span><\/em>. That project never materialised, but its spirit lives on in these four tone poems, which together chart the adventures of the Kalevala\u2019s roguish hero Lemmink\u00e4inen, a kind of Finnish Don Juan or Siegfried. The cycle moves from seduction to death and resurrection: from earthly revelry to the twilight shores of Tuonela (the land of the dead) and back again. One hears pre-echoes of later Sibelius (even the wintry forests of <\/span>Tapiola<\/span><\/em>) and occasional Wagnerian hues in the orchestration, yet the musical language is distinctively northern. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00ab\u00a0Lemmink\u00e4inen and the Maidens of the Island\u00a0\u00bb<\/span> opened the suite in lush but somewhat cautious fashion.\u00a0 <\/span>Warm woodwind lines did indeed evoke gentle Nordic landscapes and summer haze, and there were passages of fine, sensitively phrased playing from the strings.\u00a0 <\/span>Yet the overall effect remained too placid and undercharged, a surprising restraint in music depicting the brash adventures of a warrior seducing an islandful of maidens.\u00a0 <\/span>One missed the sense of danger, eroticism and narrative drive in this opener; more physicality and abandon would not have gone amiss. Lintu\u2019s interpretation was elegant and clear-textured, but a shade too careful. The climactic revelries never quite caught fire, making this first legend feel more like a pleasant interlude than the start of an epic saga.<\/span><\/p>

If the first movement underplayed its hand, the second proved the revelation of the evening. \u00ab\u00a0<\/span>The Swan of Tuonela\u00a0\u00bb, <\/span>Sibelius\u2019s most familiar miniature, was here rendered with rare tension, grace and almost preternatural clarity.\u00a0 <\/span>Principal cellist <\/span>Aino-Maija Riutamaa de Mata<\/span> delivered the long-lined cello solos with sovereign ease; her tone was warm, lyrical and queenly, anchoring the music\u2019s mournful dignity. In dialogue with her, <\/span>Jukka Hirvikangas<\/span>\u2019s cor anglais sang out with hypnotic, otherworldly purity. Together, these two voices created a floating lament that seemed suspended in time and space. This performance suggested a kind of Finnish pendant to Wagner\u2019s <\/span>Lohengrin<\/span><\/em> in tone: seraphic, mythic, almost sacred. Under Lintu\u2019s direction, Tuonela became\u00a0 a spiritual borderland. Silence was as significant as sound; soft string murmurs and the dark-hued harp chords formed an aura of hushed reverence. It was music of the in-between, and Lintu\u2019s handling of its contour and pacing showed true mastery. For a few minutes, Sibelius\u2019s tone poem hung like a prayer in the hall, a moment of suspended transcendence that held the audience rapt.<\/span><\/p>

With \u00ab\u00a0<\/span>Lemmink\u00e4inen in Tuonela\u00a0\u00bb<\/span> (the third movement), Sibelius\u2019s imagination reached its most unorthodox and haunting expression. This section proved the most strikingly original episode of the suite, an abstract, chthonic fresco shimmering with eerie orchestral experimentation. Lintu and the Lahti players conjured a genuinely haunted atmosphere: tremulous string tremolo and low double-bass murmurations suggested a nightmarish forest floor quivering with unseen life. The soundscape recalled the haunted woodlands of <\/span>Tapiola<\/span><\/em>, though on a more intimate, subterranean scale, less the howling gale, more the whispering shadows underneath ancient trees. On the podium, Lintu\u2019s gestures became almost ritualistic, as if he were <\/span>V\u00e4in\u00e4m\u00f6inen<\/span> the ancient bard himself, casting a spell of resurrection.\u00a0 <\/span>The woodwinds\u2019 distant cries had an edge of agony that evoked the ghostly climax of Mahler\u2019s Tenth<\/em> (stridency transmuted into something spectral and otherworldly). Against this, the upper strings maintained an astonishingly controlled pianissimo, an icy shimmer of violins that never wavered in intonation. Once again the cello and cor anglais emerged to the fore, their plaintive motifs mesmeric in effect, leading the listener through Sibelius\u2019s death-haunted vision. This was an extraordinary meditation on death without a true climax: a depiction of the hero\u2019s lifeless body lying in the underworld, awaiting revival. It ended but with the aching presence of <\/span>unbeing, <\/span>the music simply faded into the stillness of Tuonela, leaving a hollow hush in its wake.<\/span><\/p>

The final legend, \u00ab\u00a0<\/span>Lemmink\u00e4inen\u2019s Return\u00a0\u00bb<\/span>, brought a welcome burst of energy, though even here one could have wished for a bit more dramatic grit. It is the most extroverted and brassy panel of the cycle, and Lintu drove it at a lively pace. The orchestra responded with playing that was bold and vividly articulated: jubilant brass fanfares, pounding timpani and swirling strings announced the hero\u2019s homecoming in clear bright colours. There was excitement, to be sure, yet the heroic swagger came across almost as <\/span>lighthearted<\/span> rather than truly earthshaking. The performance captured the notes but underplayed the irony, Sibelius\u2019s tongue-in-cheek approach to Lemmink\u00e4inen\u2019s macho triumph. At times the buoyant jauntiness, with its quicksilver woodwind runs, even hinted at unexpected echoes of Russian dance music \u00e0 la Tchaikovsky\u2019s <\/span>Nutcracker<\/span><\/em>. This was unexpected but not unwelcome, emphasizing the playful side of Sibelius\u2019s palette. Lintu kept the momentum tight and buoyant, avoiding bombast. Still, one felt the \u00ab\u00a0return\u00a0\u00bb could have used a touch more bite and wildness: the difference between a triumphant finale and a merely merry one. As a witty end to a predominantly sombre journey, it pleased the ear, but it was perhaps a bit too neat and comfortable to fully convince.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Birthplace of Jean Sibelius in H\u00e4meenlinna<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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From Kalevala to Valhalla: Mythic Echoes Across the North\n\n\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The second half of the evening\u2019s programme shifted from the mythic northern landscapes of Sibelius to the tragic operatic drama of Wagner. Without reintroducing <\/span>Die Walk\u00fcre<\/span><\/em> in detail, one still felt a resonant kinship between the Kalevala<\/em> legends of the <\/span>Lemmink\u00e4inen Suite<\/span><\/em> and Wagner\u2019s Norse saga, both explore heroism and fate through music. Concert performances of opera can sometimes feel static, yet this Act I <\/span>Walk\u00fcre<\/span><\/em> was unusually compelling: the three soloists fully inhabited their roles, transforming Sibelius Hall into an intimate theatre of gods and mortals. The atmosphere morphed before our ears, what began as a night of Finnish tone-painting became, after the interval, a gripping music drama of love and destiny.<\/span><\/p>

Hannu Lintu<\/span> proved a veritable magician on the podium, shaping Wagner\u2019s score with electrifying authority. He wielded his baton like a wizard\u2019s wand, conjuring suspense and vivid colour through precise rhythms and gestures. Lintu\u2019s understanding of Wagner is deep and under his direction the orchestra\u2019s sound turned rich and velvety,<\/span> like a translucent canvas of intentional dynamics. Every tempo was chosen to heighten drama rather than indulge in brute force, and lightning-fast cueing kept energy surging. In Lintu\u2019s hands, Wagner\u2019s music felt freshly minted: he built climaxes patiently and spun out the lyrical moments with an almost incantatory focus, as if casting a spell over players and audience alike.<\/span><\/p>

Tenor <\/span>Klaus Florian Vogt<\/span> (Siegmund) delivered a performance of extraordinary lyricism. His voice, often described as a phenomenon in the Wagnerian realm, is lyrical and crystalline, not the usual baritonal <\/span>Heldentenor<\/span>. <\/span>\u00a0What it may lack in stentorian weight, it makes up in projection and clarity: his uniquely sweet tone carries effortlessly.<\/span> In this concert he coupled vocal purity with dramatic commitment, every phrase was cleanly floated yet full of urgency. Vogt\u2019s \u00ab\u00a0<\/span>Winterst\u00fcrme\u00a0\u00bb<\/span> was especially ravishing, and one might dub his tender, heart-rending portrayal a \u00ab\u00a0<\/span>Siegmund Idyll\u00a0\u00bb,<\/span>\u00a0in playful allusion to Wagner\u2019s famous idyll for Siegfried. It was a Siegmund of poetic nobility, sung with excellent technical command and emotional truth.<\/span><\/p>

Soprano <\/span>Miina-Liisa V\u00e4rel\u00e4<\/span> (Sieglinde) matched him with radiant intensity. The Finnish soprano\u2019s voice has ample warmth and a youthful bloom, underpinned by model diction that gave her German text immediacy. From Sieglinde\u2019s first hesitant phrases, V\u00e4rel\u00e4 sang with luminous clarity and heartfelt nuance, an ideal approach in the intimate moments of Act I. In the hushed exchanges and the growing ecstasy of recognition, her soprano was both tender and ardent. \u00ab\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Especially in the love duet, her soaring lines and genuine emotion made Sieglinde\u2019s plight painfully real. It was a portrayal of deep feeling and musical refinement, anchoring the sibling-lovers\u2019 bond with vocal warmth.<\/span><\/p>

Bass <\/span>Ain Anger<\/span> (Hunding) completed the trio with a performance of formidable menace. The Estonian bass is renowned for his commanding presence and <\/span>schwarzer Bass<\/span> timbre, a <\/span>robust, dark-grained<\/span> voice that suits Wagner\u2019s villains perfectly <\/span>. As the antagonistic Hunding, Anger\u2019s tone was cavernous and iron-dark, every word etched in menace. He exuded vocal authority; even in a concert setting he managed to <\/span>loom<\/span> dramatically. <\/span>His phrases rumbled with ominous weight yet never turned coarse, a testament to his technique. Anger underpinned the drama with a gravitas that made Hunding\u2019s presence felt even when silent, drawing an audible tension in the hall whenever he sang. It was a chilling, sonorous performance, giving the love story a truly threatening antagonist.<\/span><\/p>

Notably, Act I of <\/span>Die Walk\u00fcre<\/span><\/em> is arguably the most lyrical, almost <\/span>chamber-music<\/span>-like episode of the entire Ring<\/em> cycle. Much of the act unfolds as an intimate three-character interplay with relatively transparent orchestration, and the <\/span>Sinfonia Lahti<\/span> rose splendidly to its challenges. Under Lintu\u2019s guidance, the orchestra delivered a warm, glowing backdrop that never overwhelmed the singers, embracing Wagner\u2019s sparse textures and inner detail. One could savour the gentle radiance of the lower strings and the mellow calls of the woodwinds in the score\u2019s softer pages. The playing had a fine-grained control, even at whisper-quiet dynamics the ensemble maintained presence and colour. This chamber-like intimacy drew the listener in, highlighting Wagner\u2019s delicate touches: for instance, at one point a solo cello line entwines with the voices, <\/span>expressing the love growing up between Siegmund and Sieglinde<\/span> in a sensuously unified timbre.<\/span>\u00a0Such moments, rendered with transparency and care, lent the performance an aura of hushed awe, as if we were eavesdropping on a private destiny unfolding.<\/span><\/p>

Several musical moments stood out as highlights of the evening. In <\/span>Scene 3<\/span>, the famous <\/span>love duet<\/span> reached a peak of rapture as Siegmund and Sieglinde finally recognize each other as long-lost twins and soulmates. Here Vogt and V\u00e4rel\u00e4\u2019s voices blended in unison with the orchestra\u2019s cello line, a gorgeous, homogeneous sonority that seemed to suspend time. Lintu shaped this passage with great tenderness, drawing silken phrasing from the strings. By the time Sieglinde sings \u00ab\u00a0<\/span>Du bist der Lenz\u00a0\u00bb<\/span>\u00a0(You are the spring) and Siegmund launches into his ardent reply, the music had blossomed into pure sensuality. Immediately following, <\/span>Siegmund\u2019s love aria, <\/span>\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0<\/span>Winterst\u00fcrme wichen dem Wonnemond\u00a0\u00bb,<\/span>\u00a0was the emotional crown of Act I. Vogt sang this ecstatic spring song with transcendent lyricism, his tenor airy yet impassioned, painting the text about winter\u2019s storms yielding to the joyous May moon. It was deeply moving, beautiful to the point of tears, and one sensed the audience collectively holding its breath during those exquisite lines.<\/span><\/p>

Wagner saved the most visceral punch for the end: the <\/span>sword revelation<\/span>. As Siegmund finally pulls the sword <\/span>Nothung<\/span> from the ash tree under which it lay embedded, <\/span>Hannu Lintu<\/span> unleashed the orchestra in a jubilant eruption. The brass and timpani roared out the Volsung victory motif, the strings surged heroically, an electrifying fortissimo that rang through Sibelius Hall. Vogt crowned it with a fearless top note, and the audience could scarcely contain their excitement. The dramatic high point prompted an immediate eruption of applause and even a spontaneous <\/span>standing ovation<\/span> as the last note resounded. In a concert setting this is rare, but it felt entirely natural here: the pent-up excitement demanded release. For a moment, Lahti\u2019s modern concert hall was transformed into Bayreuth,\u00a0 such was the fervour that greeted the Act I conclusion.<\/span><\/p>

In summary, this performance succeeded in turning a simple concert rendition of <\/span>Walk\u00fcre<\/span><\/em> into something <\/span>dramatically alive<\/span> and emotionally searing. The potential limitations of a non-staged presentation were overcome by the sheer intensity of the interpretation, the detailed orchestral playing, the vivid colours, and the deeply committed singing of all three principals. The visceral impact of Wagner\u2019s drama emerged in full force, standing in bold contrast to the evening\u2019s earlier, more reserved Sibelius piece. What could have been a static run-through became, under Lintu\u2019s spell, a genuine music-theatrical experience. By the end, the cumulative effect of Lintu\u2019s judicious pacing, the singers\u2019 vocal mastery and the overall stylistic coherence cast a powerful enchantment over the audience. It was, in many ways, an unexpected <\/span>triumph<\/span> of the Sibelius Festival, one confirmed by the sight of the crowd on its feet, roaring approval for the magic conjured that night under Lintu\u2019s baton.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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FINAL CONCERT AUGUST 30th 2025<\/p>

Sibelius Hall, Lahti<\/span><\/p>

Sinfonia Lahti<\/span><\/p>

Hannu Lintu, conductor<\/span><\/p>

Karita Mattila, soprano<\/span><\/p>

Jean Sibelius: Karelia Suite<\/i>, Op. 11 (1893)<\/b><\/span><\/p>

– Intermezzo<\/span><\/p>

– Ballade<\/span><\/p>

– Alla marcia<\/span><\/p>

Orchestral Songs (Jean Sibelius & Edvard Grieg)<\/b><\/span><\/p>

Edvard Grieg<\/b><\/span><\/p>

– Solvejgs Vuggevise, Op. 23 No. 2 (D Major)<\/span><\/p>

– Jeg elsker dig (orch. Max Reger), Op. 5 No. 3 (D Major)<\/span><\/p>

–\u00a0 En Svane, Op. 25 No. 2 (F Major)<\/span><\/p>

–\u00a0 V\u00e5ren, Op. 33 No. 2 (G Major)<\/span><\/p>

Jean Sibelius<\/b><\/span><\/p>

–\u00a0 Kev\u00e4tlaulu (Spring Song), Op. 16<\/span><\/p>

– Illalle (To Evening), Op. 17 No. 6 (orch. Jussi Jalas)\u00a0 F Major<\/span><\/p>

– Arioso, Op. 3 No. 4\u00a0 A Major<\/span><\/p>

– V\u00e5ren flyktar hastigt (Spring is Flying), Op. 13 No. 4\u00a0 E\u266d Major<\/span><\/p>

– Svarta rosor (Black Roses), Op. 36 No. 1\u00a0 C Major<\/span><\/p>

Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 <\/i>in E minor, Op. 39 (1899)<\/b><\/span><\/p>

– Andante ma non troppo – Allegro energico<\/span><\/p>

– Andante (ma non troppo lento)<\/span><\/p>

– Scherzo (Allegro)<\/span><\/p>

–\u00a0 Finale (Quasi una fantasia)<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Karelia's Crisp Charm\n\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Lahti Symphony Orchestra\u2019s <\/span>Sibelius Festival 2025<\/span> reached its conclusion on 30 August with a final concert drawing a capacity crowd to Lahti\u2019s Sibelius Hall. After two inspired evenings featuring Sibelius\u2019s early epic <\/span>Kullervo<\/i><\/span>, the mythic <\/span>Lemmink\u00e4inen Suite<\/i><\/span>, and even the operatic drama of <\/span>Die Walk\u00fcre<\/i><\/span> <\/i>Act I, this last night offered a more compact but equally enticing programme. Conductor <\/span>Hannu Lintu<\/span> led a slate of Sibelius favourites: the <\/span>Karelia Suite<\/i><\/span> as a crisp opener, a selection of orchestrated songs by <\/span>Grieg<\/span> and <\/span>Sibelius<\/span> featuring legendary Finnish soprano <\/span>Karita Mattila<\/span>, and finally Sibelius\u2019s <\/span>Symphony No. 1<\/i> in E minor<\/span> as the grand culmination.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The concert opened with <\/span>Karelia Suite<\/i><\/span>, delivered in a <\/span>crisp, almost functional<\/span> account that nonetheless charmed the audience. In the famous <\/span>Intermezzo<\/span>, Lintu slightly reined in the tempo. The march-like rhythms had clear direction and an understated buoyancy,\u00a0<\/span>cheerful and festive<\/span>, if more polite than exuberant. This approach kept the music well-balanced, never rushing headlong, though perhaps at the expense of some visceral thrill. It set a tone of careful cohesion rather than abandon.<\/span><\/p>

The central <\/span>Ballade<\/span> emerged as the suite\u2019s emotional core. Here the orchestra\u2019s playing turned warm and lyrical, drawing out the piece\u2019s melancholic shades with tenderness. The <\/span>cor anglais<\/span> theme floated sorrowfully, and the strings responded in kind, painting a dusk-lit Nordic landscape. It was beautifully done, yet one couldn\u2019t help recalling Mariss Jansons\u2019 classic Oslo recording of this piece, an interpretation even more ethereal, poetic, and tonally airborne than what we heard in the hall. Lintu\u2019s reading favoured a grounded poignancy over misty nostalgia.<\/span><\/p>

Finally, the closing <\/span>Alla marcia<\/span> movement brought a welcome lift in energy. Lintu and his players gave it a <\/span>jubilant, rousing<\/span> treatment: bright brass calls, snappy snare drum tattoos, and a confident stride in the orchestra\u2019s gait. It was an <\/span>effective and spirited<\/span> conclusion to the suite, earning appreciative applause. While <\/span>Karelia Suite<\/i><\/span> is never counted among Sibelius\u2019s profound utterances, it was presented here with enough <\/span>charm and cohesion<\/span> to satisfy.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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From Restraint to Rapture: Mattila\u2019s Nordic Songs\n\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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For the evening\u2019s centrepiece, Karita Mattila joined Lintu and the orchestra for a set of orchestrated songs by Grieg and Sibelius, a journey through Nordic lyricism that proved to be the night\u2019s beating heart. Mattila, a seasoned dramatic soprano, managed her vocal resources with intelligence and poise. In the four Grieg songs that opened the set, she sang with artful restraint and crystalline clarity. Each song was lovingly shaped, phrases flowing naturally, yet one sensed Mattila was holding plenty in reserve. The delicate sentiments of these youthful Scandinavian songs were rendered beautifully, if a touch coolly, as though the singer were carefully pacing herself for a long voyage.<\/p>

Between the Grieg and Sibelius selections, the orchestra offered Sibelius\u2019s Kev\u00e4tlaulu <\/i>(Spring Song<\/i>) without the soprano, a brief interlude that allowed the ensemble to shine on its own. This early Sibelius piece, all gentle swells and vernal atmosphere, was painted in romantic pastel colours. Lintu highlighted its highly atmospheric character: one could almost feel the Nordic spring thaw in the plush strings and the woodwinds\u2019 birdsong-like motifs. It served as a refreshing palate-cleanser and a bridge into Sibelius\u2019s own songs.<\/p>

As Mattila returned for Sibelius\u2019s songs, she gradually began to unveil the full power and warmth of her voice. In Sibelius\u2019s \u00ab\u00a0Arioso\u00a0\u00bb, her middle and upper registers blossomed with golden richness, still under complete control but now filling the hall with a new breadth of expression. Throughout the Sibelius set, Mattila\u2019s presence was arresting, an artist in complete command, projecting warmth and authority in equal measure. Each phrase was weighted with meaning, yet nothing was overdone; she knew exactly how to measure out her gifts.<\/p>

The emotional arc of this set found its pinnacle in \u00ab\u00a0Svarta rosor\u00a0\u00bb (Black Roses). Here Mattila at last let her voice glow at full intensity, and the result was magnificent. With autumnal tone and long-breathed phrasing, she imbued this song of dark roses and darker feelings with an almost Strauss-like depth, one couldn\u2019t help but hear echoes of the final Four Last Songs<\/i> in her radiant yet sorrow-tinged timbre. It was an unforgettable performance, steeped in late-Romantic passion and Finnish melancholy, the orchestra providing a shimmering backdrop to Mattila\u2019s soaring lines. Ever generous, Mattila offered an encore,\u00a0<\/p>

Ever generous, Mattila offered an encore (\u00ab\u00a0Var det en dr\u00f6m?\u00a0\u00bb, Op.\u202f37 No.\u202f4), which she delivered with bright, heartfelt simplicity, sending the audience into intermission on a high note of admiration and emotion.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Heroism and Heartache in Sibelius\u2019s First Symphony<\/i>\n\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The concert\u2019s second half featured <\/span>Sibelius\u2019s Symphony No. 1<\/i><\/span>, a work of youthful fire and searching heart, which here left somewhat <\/span>mixed impressions<\/span>. Lintu launched the opening <\/span>Andante ma non troppo \u2013 Allegro energico<\/span><\/em> with a bold sense of drama. The lone clarinet solo at the start was beautifully voiced, full of lonely yearning, before the orchestra swept in to build the first movement\u2019s surging allegro. Under Lintu\u2019s baton the music had a strong <\/span>propulsive energy<\/span> and a clear heroic contour, one could discern kinship with the world of <\/span>Kullervo<\/i><\/span> <\/i>and the <\/span>Lemmink\u00e4inen<\/i><\/span> legends <\/i>heard earlier in the festival. The Lahti players responded with vigor: strings biting into their urgent figures, brass and timpani lending a fiery undercurrent. The movement\u2019s climaxes were potent without turning chaotic, and the final bars were delivered with <\/span>razor-sharp precision<\/span>, capping an exciting start.<\/span><\/p>

In in the <\/span>second movement<\/span> (<\/span>Andante, ma non troppo lento<\/span><\/em>), Lintu\u2019s interpretative choices proved more controversial. Sibelius marks this soulful interlude <\/span>ma non troppo lento<\/span><\/em> (not too slow), yet Lintu opted for an unusually <\/span>slow, almost dreamy<\/span> tempo. The music unfolded like a <\/span>wintry reverie<\/span>, hushed and poetic, indeed, at times it conjured the spirit of Tchaikovsky\u2019s <\/span>snow-laden reveries<\/span>… The orchestra played with great sensitivity here, coaxing a hushed, silvered tone from the strings and woodwinds. There were moments of undeniable beauty: a sense of deep stillness and Nordic night. However, at such a <\/span>leisurely pace<\/span> the movement\u2019s structure seemed to lose some coherence. The long lines threatened to sag, and the forward momentum nearly froze. Evocative as it was in the moment, this Andante<\/em> risked dissolving into an ambient haze; one longed for a touch more flow to keep Sibelius\u2019s musical narrative intact.<\/span><\/p>

The <\/span>Scherzo<\/span><\/em> (<\/span>Allegro<\/span><\/em>) regained some vitality, though it did not quite match the incisive bite known from some other interpreters. Lintu drove this third movement with a firm hand, the rhythmic foundations were solid enough, yet the execution felt slightly <\/span>undercharged<\/span>. The tempo, while brisk, could have been sharper, and the articulation crisper. One missed the last degree of <\/span>ferocity and precision<\/span>, the kind of crackling electricity that, say, Osmo V\u00e4nsk\u00e4 brought with the same orchestra on disc with his taut approach. Here the Lahti Symphony played cleanly but without that extra demonic gleam in the eye. As a result, the Scherzo<\/em>\u2019s thrills were tempered, its impact a tad softened, though the quiet, scurrying transition into the finale was handled expertly, suspense hanging in the air.<\/span><\/p>

In the <\/span>Finale<\/em> (Quasi una fantasia<\/em>)<\/span>, Lintu emphasised the music\u2019s dark grandeur and undercurrents of struggle. The movement opened in <\/span>sombre, shrouded<\/span> tones, the string chorale like a clouded northern sky, from which the timpani\u2019s heartbeat and the clarinet\u2019s lament emerged again, tying the finale back to the symphony\u2019s beginning. As the movement progressed, unsettled energy simmered beneath the surface, occasionally breaking out in <\/span>passionate outbursts<\/span>. This First Symphony<\/i> often seems to wear <\/span>three faces<\/span>: at times the noble <\/span>Kalevala<\/span><\/em> epic, at times echoing Russian-romantic pathos, and ultimately searching for a new, distinctly Sibelian synthesis. Lintu underscored the work\u2019s tragic, searching qualities most of all. The performance stressed weight and gravity, bringing out Mahlerian shadows as much as Nordic defiance, and one felt the music\u2019s <\/span>yearning for resolution<\/span>. Yet at moments the pacing became <\/span>too weighty<\/span>, stretching the tension a little thin. The final pages, with their anguished descending scales and abrupt silences, conveyed a powerful sense of <\/span>unresolved turmoil<\/span>. The symphony closed not in triumph but in a kind of defiant uncertainty. It was a thought-provoking interpretation, finely played throughout, if not an ultimately cathartic one. As the last E minor chord died away, one couldn\u2019t help but reflect on this dialectical work of <\/span>thesis, antithesis, synthesis<\/span>, and wonder where Sibelius\u2019s symphonic journey would lead next…<\/span><\/p>

No sooner had the Symphony\u2019s applause subsided than Lintu offered a parting gift: <\/span>Finlandia<\/span><\/em> as an encore. Taken broadly and grandly, this familiar national showpiece still stirred the soul. The opening was spacious and gravely sonorous, the brass and low strings intoning with almost organ-like majesty. Then came the swell of hope, horns and trumpets ringing out, the timpani driving noble rhythms, answered by the famous hymn theme in lustrous, hymn-like fullness. Lintu shaped <\/span>Finlandia<\/span><\/em> with loving care for its <\/span>rhetorical flair<\/span> and contrast: from hushed reverence to thunderous exhilaration. Even for those who have heard this work countless times, its <\/span>patriotic ardour<\/span> proved effective. By the final, blazing bars, the audience was fully overcome, an <\/span>eruption of applause<\/span> and a standing ovation crowned not just the encore, but the entire evening.<\/span><\/p>

In retrospect, this closing night of the Sibelius Festival was <\/span>rich in colour and lyrical generosity<\/span>, though not uniformly consistent in pacing. The true musical stars of the evening were undoubtedly Karita Mattila, whose profound song interpretations will linger long in memory, and the orchestra\u2019s rousing <\/span>Finlandia<\/span><\/em>, which sent spirits soaring. By contrast, the Symphony No. 1<\/em>, while admirably played, left a more ambivalent aftertaste: perhaps a bit too heavy and inward to provide a rousing climax to the festival. As the applause finally faded and people filtered out into the late summer night, one left with the impression not of a grand crescendo, but of a <\/span>slow-burning epilogue<\/span>. This was an ending in a reflective, nostalgic vein, an <\/span>autumnal afterglow<\/span> rather than a blaze, and in its way, that felt deeply fitting and <\/span>deeply Finnish<\/span>. The Sibelius Festival closed on a note of thoughtful reverie, its final chords echoing in the heart.<\/span><\/p>

As one stepped out of Sibelius Hall into the misty evening by the lake, the shifting light and soft drizzle seemed to signal autumn\u2019s quiet arrival. This gentle descent into the season mirrored the emotional arc of the festival itself: an experience at times luminous, at times crepuscular. From the rare grandeur of <\/span>Kullervo<\/span><\/em> to the haunting beauty of <\/span>Lemmink\u00e4inen<\/span><\/em>, from the electrifying <\/span>Walk\u00fcre<\/span><\/em> to the introspective close, the festival offered a journey through myth, voice, and symphonic invention. The second evening glowed brightest: a summit of vocal and orchestral synergy, but throughout, the <\/span>engagement of the musicians<\/span> and the <\/span>thoughtful shaping by Hannu Lintu<\/span>, in his first year as chief conductor, gave the festival a sense of artistic direction and renewal.<\/span><\/p>

A new chapter has begun in Lahti, one attuned to depth, nuance, and the quiet power of seasonal transformation.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Statue of Sibelius, Loviisa, Finland The 2025 Sibelius Festival in Lahti unfolded as a triptych tracing the composer\u2019s early symphonic voice. Three concerts, three visions of emergence: \u00ab\u00a0Kullervo\u00a0\u00bb, \u00ab\u00a0Lemmink\u00e4inen\u00a0\u00bb, and the \u00ab\u00a0First Symphony\u00a0\u00bb, each set in resonant dialogue with Mahler, Wagner, and Grieg. This year also marked Hannu Lintu\u2019s official debut as chief conductor of 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